Quote of the day

Kenny MacAskill had a message yesterday which is also applicable to disgruntled members of the GAWA:

"We've not got the best fitba' team in the world but they're oor team and we're proud of them. Scotland's not the biggest country in the world, but it's oor ain hameland and we're all proud of it."

Reality bites in the N.Atlantic

Five points at this stage of the competition is two more than I expected and there are no easy games in international football you know and... well.

Dear, oh dear, oh dear!

There are probably less than a dozen teams in Europe that wouldn't be automatically expected to beat Northern Ireland and even in the best of times, I wouldn't fancy our chances against any of them.

Give us Sweden, Spain, England, Italy on the other hand...

77/1 for a Home Countries Treble!

On international football nights, I always make sure that I have a little "hopeful/less solidarity", combined bet on the four home countries. Going on returns to date, let's just say that I wouldn't recommend it as an alternative means of investment to a few fivers stuffed under the biscuit tin under the bed...but one day I just know it's going to come off.

So, Paddy Power today are offering a whopping 77/1 (!!!) treble on Northern Ireland to beat Italy, a Scots' victory in Prague and the Welsh to sort out Bulgaria in Cardiff. At this juncture in the afternoon (before the first pint)it does seem somewhat of a far-fetched possibility, but the price of a pint has gone on it anyroads.

Can Northern Ireland, at least out of the three, do it tonight?

Italy won't be fancying it that much. Windsor Park is most certainly not the Stadio Olimpico; the fans' fervour (fortified with something a bit stronger than a caffè latte) could unsettle what is a pretty inexperienced team and, to be blunt, since no one expects them to win the Northern Ireland team itself has, well, nothing to lose.

But no, the head says "Of course not, we haven't a chance". And to be honest, it's one of the games where I can sit back (tonight, thanks to one of Ms O'Neill's little perverse jokes, in an Italian restaurant) and enjoy the game without stressing myself overly about the result. I'll predict a battling two-goal defeat with hopefully no injuries for the more important away game on Tuesday.
As long as Italy go home knowing they've been in a game, that'll do me nicely.

Update

Paddy won’t be sponsoring our Winter Cruise around Caribbean this year... but not to worry, once again we pull off a result against the kind of team we have no right to be pulling results off. Four points off our first two games against World Cup finalists, Slovenia and a team that has won the World Cup more times than we’ve even qualified for the darn thing is way beyond my expectations at the start of the campaign. I should have learnt by now never to write OWC off, time and time again they prove me wrong and despite actively following one of the best club teams in the world, I can honestly say they’ve given me my best football experiences simply because they have always been so unexpected.
So very proud, yet again, of my team.

Finally....

Or perhaps, "Hopefully"...

The 2010 Commonwealth Games will begin on Sunday with a "spectacular" opening ceremony in Delhi at 1430 BST.

The Games, the first to be staged in India, have been dogged by problems with the athletes' village being called "inhospitable" just last week.

However, Games officials have worked round the clock to ensure competitions start, as scheduled, on Monday.

Fears over transport have been resolved and all teams have pledged that their athletes will parade on Sunday

The stadium, actually, doesn't look too bad at a distance. The relevance of an inflatable ufo to the Commonwealth will hopefully soon be revealed.

Quote of the Day

I've no problem attending GAA games or Gay Pride Marches but (apparently) like Tom Elliott, I will never, ever attend a Belfast Giants game. Maybe for slightly different reasons though:

"I understand that we have several sporting communities here in Northern Ireland and I fully respect that recreational choice, but I must point out that ice hockey is still strongly associated with violence, especially hitting people with sticks. Furthermore, when violence breaks out the clock is stopped and everyone is just expected to wait, which is something I think we have had quite enough of in the pro-union community."

UK Olympic Football team confirmed by UEFA, unnamed FA official and Harry Harris

Bearing in mind this is from Harry Harris, a journalist whose grip on reality and truth can be tenuous at the best of times:

UEFA have given the green light for Great Britain and Northern Ireland to field an Under-23 football team for the first time in the Olympics.

High-level talks will take place this week to finally decide whether England will go it alone or whether it will be a team drawn up from all the home countries.

But either way an Olympic football team will be fielded for the first time by this country.

Wrong. A British team, not only competed in, but actually won the Olympic Football tournament in 1908 and 1912. Also, the opinion of UEFA, as the organising body solely for European football, is of much less importance than that of FIFA, the worldwide body. Those two rather important, points aside, reading the rest of the article, this seems merely to be a case of putting more indirect pressure, before this week's meetings, on the N.Irish, Scottish and Welsh FAs. There have been no new directives or mixed messages on the topic from Blatter for some time now.

Was Scotland's result or their fans more embarrassing?

Oh dear.
Fair to assume Robin Galloway doesn't reside on the intellectual wing of the Tartan Army:

"IT'S only right that the stadium rings with a cacophony of boos.

I hope we boo so loud no one can hear that dirge.

What do the people of Liechtenstein expect?

Of all the tunes in the world they could have, it just has to be the same tune as England's?

I think they've chosen it deliberately to wind us up."

Yes, of course they did.
Poor Gordon Peat has now attempted to clear up the mess caused by the idiots:

George Peat, the acting chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, has described last night's jeering of the Liechtenstein national anthem as "disgraceful" and issued a public apology.

The Liechtenstein anthem, which has the same tune as God Save The Queen, was met with audible derision by some members of the Scotland support ahead of last night's match at Hampden Park, which Craig Levein's side won 2-1.

Peat said: "I was embarrassed and extremely disappointed by the disgraceful behaviour of some of our supporters during the Liechtenstein national anthem at Hampden Park last night.

In the modern football age of CCTV and "in your face" stewarting, it wouldn't be that difficult to identify at least the worst culprits. Then, it's a simple matter of banning them from future internationals- Mr Galloway would be a good, high-profile start.

A nation of millions holds you back.

Dedicated to "Race Equality Secret Service" who attempted to post the most racist comment you would ever had the displeasure to read on here:


And...good luck England;)

It was the racism wot lost it...

THIS IS NOT A RACIST GROUP but this is our country and i am sick of being told we cant fly our flags, we cant show our support 4 england and wear our tops, we cant celebrate st georges day, we cant do anything that british

Having suffered enough discrimination over the years for daring to attempt wearing the *wrong* national shirt in certain of Belfast's hostelries (hallo there Botanic Inn)...really, I'd have been prepared to turn a blind eye to your crimes against our native tongue and even thought about becoming a "friend".

But you then you just had to go and blow it:

"If our england tops am banned your sari should b 2"

Own goal.

With Alex on your side, failure is not an option.

It would have made a much more dramatic post, if he'd said "Away on with ye, Algeria, Slovenia, USA all the way" but fair's, fair that's not what he said:

"Although it's hugely disappointing Scotland didn't qualify, I'm looking forward to the World Cup," said Mr Salmond in a statement issued by his spokesman.

"It's great for African football that it's being held there for the first time and it would be terrific for the tournament if South Africa reach the latter stages.

"I don't root against England – they have some fine players and under the impressive Fabio Capello are capable of being involved deep into the knock-out stages. I wish them well."

Pushed as to whether or not he would back England his spokesman said: "Yes he will"

Calcutta Cup Grudge Rematch will bring English their parliament?

That seems to be the implication of this article by Philip Johnston in the Daily Telegraph:

The 1990 Calcutta Cup was a grudge match for the Scots, but now the discontent has moved to England, says Philip Johnston

I hope those were present at that momentous game in 1990 knew they were watching an historic change in the tide of men...appparently:

The background is set out in a new book called The Grudge, which suggests that the game on March 17, 1990 was the point when the momentum towards Scottish devolution became unstoppable. This extract from the publisher's synopsis gives you the general idea: "Will Carling's England are the very embodiment of Margaret Thatcher's Britain – snarling, brutish and all-conquering. Scotland are the underdogs – second-class citizens from a land that's become the testing ground for the most unpopular tax in living memory: Thatcher's poll tax...In Edinburgh, nationalism is rising high – what happens in the stadium will resound far beyond the pitch."

Dear, oh dear, a case of ever so slightly over-cooking the haggis there.

Anyway, Johnston goes onto to link that game and the political situation of the time with this weekend's fixture between the two countries and the democratic deficit suffered by England that the various devolution experiments have brought about. The comparison is shakey.

Despite the recent wobbles, we're going to see a Conservative government shortly, a Conservative government in charge of a House of Commons the vast majority of whose members represent English constituencies. Unlike the perceived situation in Scotland 1990, English devolution, a parliament or even EVoEM can not be prevented by MPs solely from other parts of the UK but from England itself. Therefore the English voters, if they rate the concern highly enough, are in a position to make it an election issue...will they though?

Surfin' Separatists

Let's hope the Cornish nats don't get to hear of this:

A campaign by the Scottish Surfing Federation for Scotland to have its own team in international events has been backed by an MSP.

Highlands and Islands SNP MSP Rob Gibson hopes to win support from the Scottish government for the bid.

He said the International Surfing Association only recognises team GB, but teams from Hawaii and the US as separate entries.

Mr Gibson said a Scottish team made sense.

Goes against the grain to say this but anyone with the bottle to surf off the Scottish coast deserves whatever they ask for...

A nation laments

Bad news:

The FA has confirmed that, for the first time since 1966, there will be no official song to mark England's World Cup campaign in South Africa.

According to an FA spokesman, the England management "want to be fully focused on the football".

Wondering which of the WAGs Cap'n Vice is going to sort out next can't be helping to keep the team "fully focused" at the minute...but yes, if Capello thinks the team having an official song will help make the difference between getting stuffed by Algeria and lifting the World Cup, he's quite right to tell them to forget it.

Still for those who remember the monumental efforts by New Order, the Lightning Seeds and Ant & Dec, it's a sad day indeed.

Following the viral success of Rage against the Machine's Xmas No.1 perhaps now is the time for us to push online for a revival of the best World Cup anthem ever?

Vindaloo, Fat Les- the Mumbai Grand Central Remix:

Quote of the day

Who said?:

"But remember what Jock Stein always said. He said, 'Look, one of the problems with Scotland is we're too focused each year on beating England and not focused enough on establishing our place across the world'.

Some generations of Scots were quite happy if we beat England - it didn't matter about all the other things. Well, the other things really matter: the European Championships, the World Cups are what we want to qualify for.

"We want to be taking on England, not just in friendlies; we want to be taking on England in the later stages of these competitions. That should be our target, not absorbed with the be-all and end-all of a match against England."

Surprisingly, it was Diego's mate.

Welcome to Glasgow? We'll send you homeward tae think again.

Flower of Scotland has been chosen by the athletes themselves as the official anthem for Scotland’s Commonwealth Games team at this year’s event in New Delhi.

It is used as the pre-match anthem by both the national football and rugby teams and, of course, commemorates Robert the Bruce’s victory over the English at Bannockburn in 1314; from the third verse:

Those days are past now,
And in the past
they must remain,
But we can still rise now,
And be the nation again,
That stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again

Not every one approves of the choice:

Christopher Harvie, the historian and Scottish Nationalist MSP, was unimpressed by the result of the vote and said Scots Wha Hae, written by Robert Burns, should have been chosen instead of an “anti-English” song.

"Burns’s ideas of equality and opposing tyranny are a much better example for Scotland to set for the world at international sporting events than a celebration of a battle that happened quite a long time ago,"he said.

That being the case, is it really an appropriate choice to be the official anthem when the Commonwealth Games are held in Glasgow in 2014?

Cameron says "No" to Team UK

Crafty stuff from Cameron:

The prospect of a British football team appearing at the London Olympics in 2012 appears to have receded after David Cameron said a government led by him would not support the idea.

The Conservative leader said he would not back the creation of a UK squad, which has been strongly opposed by the Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh football associations.

While Gordon Brown backs the proposal, the Tories favour a home international championship to decide which team should represent Britain at the Games.

“I learnt a long time ago from watching Scottish friends watching various football teams playing that this was a subject best for politicians to steer well clear of,” Cameron said.

David Mundell, the shadow Scottish secretary, said Westminster would not seek to jeopardise the existence of a separate Scottish football team.

A clever and populist point of view with very little apparent disadvantages to the proposal- FIFA gets a Team GB, the four Home Associations keep their separateness and David Cameron gets honorary membership of the Tartan Army...probably.

Thatcher, Thatcher Stadium Snatcher!

It's my own fault for dipping into the Scottish Sun I suppose.

The latest variation on the "Trust us, them English Tories will eat your babies" scaremongering comes not from the DUP, but their sister regionalist party in Scotland:

Yesterday a spokesman for the First Minister, Alex Salmond, said: "This says it all for the Tories' attitude to Scotland."

"This" being accompanied by a "Thatcher Bulldoze Hampden" screamer:

TORY stalwart Teddy Taylor last night defended the secret Thatcher government plot to bulldoze Hampden - and insisted it was a "terribly good" idea.

The former senior MP's claim came 30 years after he told the then-PM's administration to ditch their pledge to rebuild the national stadium.

And the shocking proposals - revealed in newly released secret documents - show he planned to "sweeten the pill" by relocating Scotland games to other parts of the country.

So...actually the headline is not quite that accurate then, it's more a:
"Teddy Taylor, 30 years ago, after the local council withdrew funding for a stadium revamp, asked "wouldn't it be wise to call it a day on Hampden" with no bulldozers or Mrs Thatcher in sight:

He suggested the Tories could "sweeten the pill by indicating that big international matches would be played at various grounds, with Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh all getting a share."

The fiends, "forcing" the national team to play around the er.. nation.

The more important point to be gleaned from this non-story is the complete lack of Conservative (apart from Teddy Taylor, who retired in 2005) comment. Yes, it happened over 30 years ago during the reign of Mrs Thatcher but that hasn't stopped the nats from trying to pull some kind of benefit from it.

A witty one-liner or a simple "Sigh, that was then, this is now" would have sufficed-they will have to step their game up pretty sharpish when faced with this kind of nonsense and not only in Scotland.

That's the football sorted, now what about golf and the rugby sevens?

Now that the Team GB football question for the 2012 Olympics has been (Christine Grahame and Sepp Blatter willing) put to rest, time to switch our attention to the next sporting national identity crisis.

In 2016, golf and rugby sevens will be included in the Rio Olympics. Both sports are obviously incredibly popular in all parts of the British Isles and bearing in mind there are only two teams at the Olympics representing what are regarded as five countries by, amongst other sporting organisations, FIFA, you can guess the kind of controversies which will almost certainly arise.

First, an example from golf, a very quickly rising star, Rory McIlroy, from Holywood, Northern Ireland and a British passport holder:

I'd probably play for Great Britain. I have a British passport. It's a bit of an awkward question still. It would be huge to play in an Olympics. I'd love to get an Olympic gold medal one day.

Yet the Golfing Union of Ireland is, as the name implies,an all-island body. In team competitions Northern Irish golfers invariably turn out for "Ireland". However, as in previous Olympics, it will be most probably be left up to the individual and, as in previous Olympics, that means the likes of McIlroy having the choice to opt for either team. And as in very many of those previous cases, that choice will be probably made on purely pragmatic (ie which team it's easier to qualify for) rather than political grounds

The Rugby Sevens throws up a wholly different situation, as outlined here by SNP MSP Stewart Maxwell:

Recognition for Rugby Sevens at the Olympics is a great step but it must not lead to and end to the World Cup.

We have seen with football that the IOC will not allow Scotland to compete as a country in her own right- despite our position in Football as in Rugby as a separate and internationally recognised sporting nation.

The IRB have previously said that the Sevens’ World Cup would be scrapped if the sports were admitted into the Olympics.

Maxwell continues:

If the IRB scrap the World Cup there will be no opportunity left for Scotland’s Sevens team to show their ability to the world in the sports number one event.

Scotland must be allowed to compete at Rugby Sevens top tournament as to block our participation would be a tragedy for Scottish Rugby and a bizarre fate to befall the country that invented the game.” Rugby Sevens was first played in Melrose. The sport has not appeared at the Olympics since 1924.

Surprise, surprise, I do have sympathy for his position here. Despite the wheelings and backroom dealings of Blatter and his sidekick Jack Warner, I felt the fears over a four country Team GB competing in the 2012 Olympics were exaggerated- not to say that the two gentlemen in question would love to see the 4 present votes of England, NI, Scotland and Wales reduced to a single UK one...simply that the presence of a GB team at the Olympics would have a minimal bearing on the issue one way or the other. Post 2012, there will be separate English, Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh teams competing on the world stage for both the World Cups and European Championships, I’m almost 100% certain of that.

However, Post 2016, it looks very much like there will not be separate teams representing the 4 Home Countries* at the very highest level of Rugby Sevens, if the IRB does decide to do away with the World Cup- that’s the difference between the two situations.

Still, there’s a long way to go yet and to put it bluntly, if the IRB considers its in its financial interest for 4 separate sevens teams to continue to exist at the highest international level, then the World Cup will continue.




* Not quite what the position is with Northern Irish players, under IRB rules they clearly would turn out for an all-island Ireland team, under IOC rules they could qualify for either the Republic’s or the GB’s sevens team

Forward!

...though not with a proper post today!

Work continues to keep me very busy and mentally knackered, although I enjoyed the time off yesterday evening to watch the Czech Republic manage to scrape a draw off Northern Ireland...I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I'd actually been there, but can't really complain with the trips I've managed this campaign.

Anyyyway...not that a great a match, but further confirmation, I think, that we've got a pretty bright future ahead with another young'un giving a very accomplished debut. A short clip of Niall McGinn's performance and postmatch interview here. McGinn, the rest of the Old Firm Quartet (Davis, Lafferty and McCourt), the Utd* Trio (Cory and Jonny Evans and Chris Cathcart) and the likes of Sammy Clingan, will, I'm sure, be forming the backbone of a very tidy team for the future. Coupled with the indirect boosts over the last couple of years- a much more competent youth set-up (and manager) and the defeat of the White Elephant Project things are most definitely looking up.

And the GAWA will, no doubt, keep enjoying themselves and doing good work, their latest charity work here, both Kate Hoey MP and Chekov in attendance!




*Two other Utd young N.Irish lads worth keeping an ear open for; Olly Norwood and Conor Devlin

Gdzie stadion? Oh...right then...prosn dwa piwa.

There'll be no blogging round these parts until at least Tuesday next week as I'm off very shortly to Berlin and the post-industrial, social-realist Disneyland that is Chorzow, Silesia, Poland*.

So, yep, another away match with Northern Ireland and hopefully it'll be my first away points ( never mind victory) since Leichtenstein which seems almost a decade ago now (March 2006?). Though to be in still with a mathmatical chance with 3 games to play is good enough for me, especially having witnessed the performance first hand less than 12 months ago in Bratislava and Maribor. I'm 99.99% sure we'll not do it this time, but I'm also convinced we've got some exciting years ahead when some of the younger members of the present team mature and a few of the under 21s and younger, presently moving up through the ranks, break through. A new Youth Coach has helped our long term prospects; getting a more tactically aware manager for the full team will be an even bigger bonus.

That's all the match analysis you're getting from me- I'll be twittering, mobile and patience willing, on Saturday both the build-up to (because those Polish motorways sure are exciting) and the game itself. I fully expect a 1-0 to Poland, a goal scored with five minutes to go and me suffering no worse an injury than a kielbasa grease stain on my Danny Blanchflower '58 retro shirt*.




*And *sigh* yes, Ciaran, I'm stopping in Berlin only because I'm a cowardy custard, nothing to do with the facts that

1. I booked accomodation and flight when the match was originally scheduled for Szechin, 2 hours from Berlin
2 Berlin offers ever so slightly more in terms of cosmopolitan weekend entertainment than a Silesian mine town where all the mines have closed.